For A GUUD Cause Showcase premieres at Hofstra University

Evening of song benefits Natasha’s Justice Project

Jazz Graham sings her heart out as one of the opening voices at the For A GUUD Cause Showcase.

DaisyMae VanValkenburgh

Hofstra's very own, The Wave performed a series of songs right before showcase headliner KOTA the Friend came on to close out the night.

DaisyMae VanValkenburgh

Members of Hofstra's NAACP setting up for the night's benefit showcase.

DaisyMae VanValkenburgh

For A GUUD Cause's headliner, KOTA the Friend, an up-and-coming rapper from Brooklyn closed out the night with a collection of hits and on-the-spot raps.

DaisyMae VanValkenburgh

Natasha's Justice Project

"A rape kit is the biological and physical evidence, including DNA, that is collected from a rape victim’s body. Rape survivors undergo this invasive process in order to help identify and convict their attackers … but the reality is that many of these rape kits never get tested. Instead, they become part of the rape kit backlog — untested rape kits warehoused in police storage and crime lab facilities, sitting on shelves collecting dust." - Natasha's Justice Project

Every donation to the organization gets put toward helping test backlogged rape kits, pushing legislature, advocacy and other work that helps these survivors be heard and for answers to be told.

Untested Rape Kits are an Issue Across the United States

By DaisyMae VanValkenburgh

The lights lowered, a red spotlight came on and singer Naya Shea’s voice filled the room. The crowd’s energy was strong from the moment DJ Liv’s beat dropped and audience members raised their neon colored glow sticks as artists took to the front of the room to perform original songs.

Around 40 people gathered together for a great cause and some great music by local artists, some of whom are current Hofstra students.

“I couldn’t do this good cause without the two u’s in guud,” said Blair Pryce, sophomore marketing major and Hofstra NAACP president about Akerson and Caicedo, who came back to help with the event. “We wanted to have everyone come in and create a family atmosphere and enjoy the music and raise money for this cause, because it is a really important one, especially on college campuses since rape culture can be hard to deal with.”

Natasha’s Justice Project is a local volunteer-run organization in West Sayville, NY that fights for survivors across the United States through public education, legislative efforts and advocacy.

"I was raped and robbed at gunpoint and it took nearly 15 years to find justice and closure in my case. The man that raped me is currently behind bars where he can no longer hurt another soul," said Natasha Alexenko, the founder of Natasha’s Justice Project.

“When I came forward with my story, I heard from so many survivors across the country,” said Alexenko. “There are so many of us out there who cannot share stories or choose not to. I want to be certain that all survivors are given the same opportunities I was if that is what they choose.”

The organization has helped create and support laws in 27 states across the country, which allow for the processing of sexual assault evidence kits in both stranger and acquaintance rape.

“We continue to grow and develop through the survivors we serve,” said Alexenko. “I try my hardest to advocate for survivors who do not have the means of support I was fortunate enough to receive.”

The guud in GUUDREAMS comes from “my grandmother who used to say good dreams instead of good night, so it just rung with me and we started to use that as a clothing brand, branched off into music, and now we’re just trying to bring a whole bunch of creators together,” said Akerson.

“When it first started off as a clothing line when we were sophomores, we marketed through local artists, and that is how we started to fuse clothing and music together and how our brand continues to be marketed,” said Caicedo.

Showcase headliner and Brooklyn native KOTA the Friend ended the night with a collection of his hits, including on-the-spot rap lyrics. As soon as he took the stage, the crowd’s energy doubled, even as the night was winding down.

Through concert ticket sales and donations, a total of $300 was raised. Hofstra’s NAACP is hoping to raise the rest of the $1,000 goal during its Art Fusion showcase.